I have always been attracted to colorful customs and cultures. The Mardi Gras and other such celebrations have caught the fancy of the world over. Closer home we have these dancers in stilts and horse costumes who also provide the necessary color to a a dull moment. Their dance called Kuduraiattam (literally translated to horse dance) to catchy beats can make you tap your feet with their movements…..The dance is popular in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This is just one part of the country. Imagine the riot of colors India can be 🙂

The English borrowed this custom for their Morris dances, country harvest dances that harked back to traditions of “waking up the gods” of growth in Spring by stomp dancing in the fields. The dancers had small bells sewn into their costumes to increase the volume. One dancer would often don an animal (usually horse or cow) in the manner shown in your lovely picture. Thanks so much for the sweet verse and a nice memory… my daughter “danced the Morris” riding the same type of horse when she was a baby, carried by the dancer…!